Sonic's Promise
by Komodin
Summary: With the journey to Eggmanland imminent, Sonic the Hedgehog was all set to storm the facility and restore the last Chaos Emerald. However, even with memories of everything that happened throughout the world adventure, one thought kept coming back into focus: Amy Rose.


_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Sonic the Hedgehog series; the rights of all things related to it are copyrighted by Sega._

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**_Sonic's Promise_**

**_A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic, by Komodin_**

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"I don't get it..."

Sonic the Hedgehog was beside himself. With the help of his friends, he managed to restore the energy of six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, as well as set most of the continents back to their rightful place on the Earth. With the location of the last Gaia Temple discovered, he was to set out for in and stop Dr. Eggman's plans once and for all. Though he was all prepared for the final mission, he was a little concerned.

"Something just doesn't feel right," he murmured, leaning against the bookshelf with his arms folded.

The air inside the Shamaran laboratory practically wavered throughout the facility. Though the large silver fan near the desk spun frantically, everyone in the room - him, Professor Pickle, and Amy Rose - was drenched in sweat. The elderly scholar was toiling away at his desk, peering through the various Gaia Manuscripts he had in his possession, while busily fanning himself cool. Amy, on the other hand, was angrily trying to watch a program on the TV, frantically trying to keep with the relatively cool breeze of the oscillating fan.

Sonic, despite being just as sweaty as the others, wasn't too concerned about the heat. Various thoughts raced through his mind: learning about Chip's true identity as essentially a counterpart to Dark Gaia, the exact details of the last continent; dealing with his now-usual nighttime form; the energy beast responsible for the current predicament. As he stood there, one thought kept coming back into focus: Amy.

He looked over at Amy, who appeared ready to smash the fan to keep it in place. As he gazed upon her, he shuddered. He still remembered the incident; the one time he was actually hoping that she, his self-proclaimed "number one fan," would still recognize him in his bestial form, she actually confused him for some other person. Though she did some time later after he saved her from Dark Gaia's minions, it still shook him to the core.

"Hey, we're back!" a voice rang out, and Sonic looked towards the entrance. Tails and Chip flew into the muggy lab, each with big grin on their faces. The twin-tailed fox was carrying his Miles Electric device in his hands.

"Oh, hey, what's up," Sonic said, smiling back. "You finally got those shields installed, little bro?"

"Yeah, we're all set to fly," Tails replied. "I just hope the Tornado can withstand whatever Eggman's got defending that temple."

"Hey, can you use that device of yours to take a peek at whatever base he got set up there?"

Tails held up his Miles Electric device. "I tried that last night, but every time I tried to zoom in on the planet piece, my satellite imaging runs into interference before I could get any decent shot of it."

"Ah, of course..." Sonic looked up at Chip. "You ready to go, little buddy?"

"Yeah..." Chip looked up to the ceiling. "Even now, I can feel Dark Gaia's energies from here. It's like he and his ghoulies are all... _gathering_ at the Gaia Temple there. I'm almost certain whatever that Eggman guy got set up there, it isn't even _remotely_ good!"

Sonic hummed, frowning. "All the more reason to storm that place and shut down whatever plan Eggman got, ri-?"

_Smash!_

Sonic immediately looked back and gasped. The silver fan that once circulated relatively cool air in the lab was now mere pieces of scrap metal and plastic on the carpet floor. Standing right in front of the wreckage was Amy, puffing heavily with her Piko Piko Hammer in her hands. The look on her face was that of pure rage, glaring down upon the remnants of the fan.

"What a piece of junk..." she spat, before noticing everyone staring silently at her and the broken fan. In a flash, her look was abruptly changed to that of bashfulness. Grinning sheepishly, she hid her hammer behind her and brushed the mess off to the side with her boot. "Oh, um, er... my bad?"

"Okay..." Sonic murmured, before focusing his attention on the startled Professor Pickle. "You okay over there, Professor?"

"Well," Prof. Pickle said, getting up from his seat. "Other than this dreadful heat, which will no doubt be _worsened_ due to our lack of means to cool it, I'm as well as ever." Now standing in front of the trio, he continued, "At any rate, I do believe it's time to seek out the last temple. I'm certain Eggman will no doubt make getting to it a most arduous journey!"

"Yeah, we're used to Eggman's antics," Tails said, and Sonic nodded. "If it's even remotely like, say, the Death Egg, it'll _still_ be a piece of cake!"

"Hm, quite right," Prof. Pickle murmured. "Well, then! Do you have any further questions?"

"Naw, I'm good," Sonic replied. "If the typical securities of ol' Eggman's bases are anything to go by, it'll be a cinch!"

Prof. Pickle nodded. "I'm sure you'll have the planet back in one piece in no time, at this rate!" Just as he started to make his way back to his desk, he abruptly added with a chuckle, "Oh, and don't forget to bring back a souvenir or three while you're out!"

"Well, I guess we can bring back one of those toy-looking robots, or something." Turning back towards Tails and Chip, he beamed with joy. "Ready to fly, guys?"

"You got it, partner!" Tails replied, and Chip nodded happily. "Let's make tracks!"

With that, Sonic opened the door out of the Lab and, followed by Tails and Chip, made his way down the long flight of stairs. In just a couple seconds, they stood at the Lab Entrance. Sonic took a big breath and breathe out heavily. Compared to the stuffiness of the Lab, the outdoor air of the Shamaran capital was an almost literal breath of fresh air.

"Well, guys," Sonic said, grinning, "Let's get mov-!"

_"Hey, wait!"_

Sonic shuddered. The reasonably high-pitched voice immediately brought to mind the Spagonia incidents. He turned around and tensed up at what he saw.

Amy was running down the stairs as fast as she could. The second she reached the bottom, she immediately leaned on her knees and panted heavily.

"You alright, Amy?" Sonic said, walking over to the pink hedgehog.

"W-wait..." she panted, holding out her hand. "I've... gotta... give... something... to you..."

"Well, can it wait 'til we get back?"

"No..." she replied, finally regaining her bearings. "I gotta give it to you now!"

Sonic folded his arms. "Well, what is it?"

She quickly reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a reddish object. Opening her hand, she said, "This."

Squinting, Sonic saw a small greyish disc in her palm, outlined with red paint and a six-pointed yellow star on its center. A pair of red and white feathers was attached to the disc. Looking up at Amy's face, she nodded slightly, extending her arm to him. Sonic took the object and looked it over. If felt light in the hand, almost as if it would break apart at any moment.

"What's this?" Sonic asked. "It looks nice..."

"It's something I found in Eggman's airship a few months ago," Amy replied, smiling. "It's a lucky charm. You can take it along with you if you want!"

"Oh... cool!" Sonic placed the charm on his chest; it easily stayed in place. Looking down at it, the feathers tickled his muzzle a bit, eliciting a small laugh from him. "Thanks, Amy!"

Amy laughed. "Just wanna help in any way I can..." To Sonic's surprise, her smile changed into a frown. "Well, actually, there's something else I gotta tell you, now that I remember. Can we talk alone? Just the two of us?"

His eyebrow raised, Sonic looked to Tails and Chip. "Hey, can you guys go ahead to the plane without me? I'll catch up with ya in a couple minutes."

"Sure thing, Sonic!" Tails said, and Chip nodded. "We'll have it up and ready when you get there!" With that, Tails and Chip went off into the Shamaran capital.

And so, the hedgehog pair stood there. The midday sun was high above the Shamaran city, raining sunshine down upon its citizens. The area they were in, a nook off to the side of the main street was shaded by the tall buildings that surrounded and towered over them. Sonic folded his arms, looking at the buildings and plants dotting the small lawn. Amy was adjusting her clothes, tidying her quills. For a few minutes, they kept themselves, only occasionally exchanging glances with one another. After a few more minutes of silence, Amy finally spoke up.

"The next one's the last temple, right?" she said, looking over at Sonic.

Sonic nodded. "Eggman's guarding it, of course. It might - _might_ - actually be somewhat challenging this time, with that Dark Gaia thing, though."

"You can do it." Amy held out her hands, balled into fists. "I believe in you! And when you're done mopping the floor with Eggman, the world will be at peace again!"

"For a little while, anyway," Sonic said, chuckling.

"And maybe..." Amy started to stammer in her words, flitting her eyes to and fro at Sonic. "Well, _maybe_..."

"'Maybe...?'" Sonic echoed, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe... we can _finally_... go out?"

Sonic unfolded his arms, eyes focused on the pink hedgehog. She had her hands clasped in front of her, with a pleading look on her face. The way she looked, it's as if even she knew that her question was possibly inappropriate. As he looked into her green eyes, the memory of what happened in Spagonia still lingered in his mind. Seconds seemed to stretch into hours as he pondered over Amy's proposal. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, he finally came to a decision. Along with all the support Amy gave him throughout the adventure, he had to give himself some form of closure with that memory.

"That could be fun," Sonic said, smiling.

What immediately followed was Amy abruptly falling to her knees. Her mouth agape, she stared blankly at Sonic, unwavering in her focused gaze. "Y-you..." was all that she could say, as if she herself couldn't believe what he just said.

"Amy?" Sonic said, walking towards the perplexed hedgehog. He waved his hands over her eyes, continuing, "Hey, are you alright? Am-?!"

"Y-you..." Amy slowly replied, "Y-you actually said, 'yes?'"

"Yep."

"You mean it?!"

Sonic nodded. "Yep, I mean it."

Amy looked away from Sonic and muttered, "He actually means it..."

"Huh?" He leaned forward, trying to hear what she said. Before he could react — before he could even put up his hands to brace himself — the hedgehog girl shot up and leaped at him, sending him flying back onto the hot, sandy ground near the Lab Entrance. Her arms, locked in a tight embrace on him, knocked the wind clear of him.

"_Yay_!" she yelled, laughing uproariously. "He said, 'yes!' _He finally said, ''yes!_" If he didn't know any better, he could've swore he saw hearts practically pour out from her body.

"Um, Amy," he said in broken gasps, "I know you're kinda thrilled about this, but you're... kinda... _choking... me...!_"

"Oh!" Amy immediately loosened her grip on Sonic, sending the asphyxiated hedgehog stumbling to his knees. "My bad, really!"

"Don't... worry," Sonic gasped, panting like a dog in a desert. "It's... cool..."

"Alright," she said happily, helping Sonic to his feet. Before Sonic could even attempt to reply, she embraced him again, but much more calmly and lightly. Glancing at her placid smile, Sonic grinned and returned the favor.

"Thanks, Sonic..." she murmured, giggling.

"No problem..." he replied.

After what seemed like eternity, she finally let go of him. "Well, don't just stand there, silly!" She lightly pushed him forward. "You got a world to save again, remember?"

"R-right," Sonic said, shaking his head. "_Almost_ forgot about that whole world-saving thing!" And with a nod, Sonic started to walk out of the nook. Just as he made it back on the Main, he heard a voice cry out from behind.

"Remember..." Sonic looked back and saw Amy, hands cupped over her muzzle. "_I believe in you, alright?_"

Sonic looked down at his new lucky charm. It gleamed like a beacon in the afternoon sun. With his eyes locked on ahead, he grinned and with one quick motion, gave her a thumbs-up. "Got it!" And with that, Sonic took off like a bullet.

_"Time for the big finale, Eggman!"_

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_Author's Note__:_ Hello, reader! Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this story!

As you can possibly ascertain from reading, it is essentially a short novelization based on an event in _Sonic Unleashed_ near the endgame: in the PS3/360 versions, if you talk to Amy outside the Lab in Shamar before you head out to Eggmanland, you actually have the option to ask her out. It doesn't really affect anything, and you can always decline the offer, but I still it's kinda nice that the developers actually gave the player the option to throw Amy a bone for once and, if you're willing to look at it in a certain way, it could actually ties into the events of _Sonic and the Black Knight_.

Well, anyway, what do you think of it? Did you find it enjoyable? Boring? If you have any questions or problems with this story, post your concerns as a review or send me a private message. Any constructive feedback is, and will always be, much appreciated.


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